Oil spill fouls Vietnam's China Beach
HANOI - An oil spill has fouled Vietnam's famed China Beach and the coastline near the world heritage-listed river port of Hoi An, officials said as they searched for the cause of the pollution.
Clumps of oil mixed with sand have marred a 20-kilometre (12-mile) stretch of beachfront in Vietnam's central-coast resort area since Tuesday, and hundreds of residents have helped clear up the mess, said local officials.
The amount of oil was larger than after similar spills in recent years but "not disastrous," said Victoria Hoi An Resort manager Claude Balland.
An Indonesian barge ran onto rocks more than three weeks ago and remains stranded about 40 kilometres offshore, but provincial officials said it remained unclear whether the oil came from this vessel or another source.
"We don't know the cause of the spill yet," said Nguyen Ngoc Dung, deputy head of the Quang Nam province natural resources and environment department. "Our top priority is to deal with the consequences and minimise the pollution."
Locals cleaning a beach near
UNESCO world heritage site Hoi An had gathered and burnt five tons of the oily sand in one day, said a local newspaper.
China Beach is the name US forces gave to the stretch of seafront between Danang City and Hoi An. It was a popular site for R and R, or rest and recreation, for American troops during the conflict.
Agence France Presse - February 1, 2007.
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